Twitter Reactions: Faf du Plessis, Andile Phehlukwayo hand Sri Lanka a huge embarrassment
Sri Lanka were bowled out in 42.3 overs as they lost the match by 87 runs.
Despite the change of captaincy, the fortunes haven’t changed as yet for Sri Lanka. The side registered an embarrassing defeat against South Africa in the warm-up match. Bowlers failed to live up to the expectations and found it really tough against the strong Proteas line-up that bats quite deep. While Faf du Plessis was the best performer with the bat for his team, Andile Phehlukwayo was just unstoppable with the ball.
After being put into bat first, South Africa breathed a sigh of huge relief as Hashim Amla seemed to have found his touch back. The 36-year-old put up a top-class show at the head of the order scoring 65 runs from just 61 balls. He hit nine fours in his innings and looked a confident player. Skipper Faf made a valuable contribution scoring a quickfire 88 off 69 balls but failed to get to his hundred.
Rassie van der Dussen (40), JP Duminy (22), Andile Phehlukwayo (35) played vital knocks down the order. It was Chris Morris who gave the team finishing touches by scoring 26 off 13 balls. South Africa scored 338 runs in the innings as Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep picked up two wickets each.
Too much of an asking for Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews
In the chase, it was two of the most experienced players who did the bulk of the scoring for Sri Lanka. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne led from the front by scoring 87 runs off 92 balls. However, his opening partner Kusal Perera could only manage to score a block while Lahiru Thimanne returned after getting 10 runs. Kusal Mendis kept the Asian team briefly interested with a good 31-ball 37 but couldn’t kick on after getting this start.
Angelo Mathews, the most experienced player in this line-up, rose up to the occasion and tried his level best. The all-rounder accrued 64 runs in 66 balls before JP Duminy got the better of him. Once he was dismissed, there was nothing left in the Sri Lankan lower order. They reeled quickly and were brought down from 220/5 to 251/10. The side was bowled out in 42.3 overs as they lost the match by 87 runs. Andile Phehlukwayo accounted for four wickets while Lungi Ngidi picked up two.
Twitterati was glad to see Andile Phehlukwayo perform well with the bat as well as the ball. However, they want him to maintain consistency. While the fans applauded Faf du Plessis, they lashed out at the Sri Lankan batsmen. The side has failed to apply itself well as a batting unit and couldn’t build partnerships at crucial stages.
Here are the reactions to South Africa’s win:
Download Our App